Head Bent is the latest release from the Nashville hard rockers known as The Cold Stares, a heavy hitting yet quite bluesy set of 11 songs long on meaty guitar licks and vocals dripping with plenty of swagger. With influences ranging from Led Zeppelin, The Black Crowes, Black Sabbath, Free, Humble Pie, and all the great American bluesmen, The Cold Stares aren't shy about displaying their classic leanings on such muscular tracks such as "Kings", "One Way Outta Here", and the Wolfmother on steroids title track. Chris Tapp & Brian Mullins manage to do with two people what most bands need four or more, the grooves thunderous, the guitar work deadly, and the vocals spot on dripping with emotion, piss & vinegar. It's not all raging hard rock though, as the warm Delta acoustic blues of "Break My Fall" testifies, but they combine both the delicate with the thunder on the massive "John", and the glorious Paul Rodgers meets Steve Marriott vocal majesty of "God and Country" is quite enjoyable on so many levels. Mullins fires off an impressive drum barrage on the heavy, groove laden rocker "Stuck in a Rut", and "Caught in the Weather" is like the perfect meeting of Stevie Ray Vaughan and Cactus...very tasty indeed.
Whether you call it hard rock, or blues, or a meeting of the two, there's no denying that Head Bent is ultimately just a damn fine album no matter how you slice it. These guys have all the tools to be huge, so make sure you don't miss this one.
See more about this release on our recent YouTube show!
Track Listing
1. John 03:22
2. Head Bent 02:35
3. Neighbor Blues 04:37
4. God And Country 03:07
5. Stuck In A Rut 03:12
6. Price To Pay 02:51
7. Caught In The Weather 03:31
8. Ball And Twine 02:59
9. Kings 03:10
10. One Way Outta Here 03:47
11. Break My Fall 04:25
Printer Friendly Page
Send to a Friend
